To send a message to the US, India has invoked its strategic partnership with Russia. India and Russia have agreed to intensify their consultations on Afghanistan and evolve a joint strategy to meet the challenges posed by terrorism in their proximate neighbourhoods.
In a joint statement issued after the two-day Pak-US strategic talks, Pakistan and the US vowed to seek a wide-ranging, long-term and substantive strategic partnership. The US said that it “was committed to working towards enhanced market access for Pakistani products as well as towards the early finalisation of the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones legislation.” Apart from cooperation in energy and supply of military equipment, Hillary Clinton said that the US would sign a letter for “significant road infrastructure” in Pakistan’s troubled northwest. It has to be mentioned that former president George Bush had also pledged, in 2005, to help establish reconstruction opportunity zones in the tribal areas with a view to providing job opportunities and enhancing the income of the residents of the areas, but neither was the bill presented in Congress by the Republican president nor did the present US administration consider it worthwhile to honour a pledge made by the former president. As regards the recent pledges, the real test of US cooperation will start after the November 2010 elections in the US. In a joint press briefing with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi after the first day of dialogue, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton termed the strategic talks important, not only for Pakistan but also for the US administration. She said that the US pledged $ 125 million in aid to boost the energy sector in Pakistan by establishing three thermal power plants to lessen the power crisis in Pakistan. But this paltry sum can help reduce shortage by a few hundred megawatts (MW) only, whereas the shortage is around 5,000 MW. She also pledged American assistance to develop the agriculture sector in Pakistan and speed up military equipment supplies to Pakistan. She added that Pakistani products would now have access to US markets. But the fact of the matter is that our industry is not running even at 50 percent of its capacity due to power shortages. It goes without saying that exports can only be increased if there is surplus production. Secondly, we have been hearing for the last three years that the US would lower tariff on imports from Pakistan, but nothing has so far been done in this regard. Our foreign minister seems to be an incorrigible optimist, as he sees a ‘180 degree change in the US’s attitude’ on the basis of promises only, and is satisfied with the overall talks including civilian nuclear cooperation. As is obvious from the joint statement and press briefing, the future tense has been used for doing things for Pakistan and no pledge has immediately been translated into action. True enough, there is a change in the US’s attitude, but to term this change as a paradigm shift in American policy is farfetched, given the past record. This should be looked at from another angle. President Obama wants to adhere to the schedule for withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan to showcase his performance before the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives and some Senate seats. In addition to his party, President Obama would stand to gain from the positive results of these elections, which could enable him to get legislation passed without much hassle and help him in his re-election for the next tenure. For Pakistan, the redeeming feature is that the US has tried to address Pakistan’s concerns and has implicitly acknowledged that Pakistan’s desire to see a friendly government next door is logical and reasonable. It is obvious that India’s role has been curtailed in the new Obama administration’s policy. In fact the die was cast for this change in the London Conference, whereby a renewed commitment was made towards helping Afghanistan so that it emerged as a secure, prosperous and democratic nation. This is in the interest of Pakistan and the region as a whole. A change in US policy is also visible from the assurance from President Karzai during his last visit to Pakistan, when he said that India would not be allowed to use Afghanistan’s soil to destabilise Pakistan. He also promised to keep Pakistan on board about any political engagement with the Taliban and sent out positive signals aimed at addressing Pakistan’s strategic concerns. However, there are reports that President Karzai was not happy over the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, second in command to Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders. Pakistan should, however, watch with guarded optimism because there are other countries in the region that also have strategic interests in Afghanistan. India is certainly not happy over its failure to play a role in the reconciliation process, though it has considerable clout with members of the Northern Alliance and President Karzai. But to send a message to the US, India has invoked its strategic partnership with Russia. Last week, India and Russia agreed to intensify their consultations on Afghanistan and evolve a joint strategy to meet the challenges posed by terrorism in their proximate neighbourhoods. Both sides signed pacts in the defence and civilian nuclear energy spheres worth over $ 10 billion. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who held detailed discussions on regional issues with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, shared New Delhi’s concerns about terrorism emanating from Pakistan and Afghanistan. But there was something to write home about, as after concluding agreements worth billions of dollars with India, Putin said: “Islamabad had, in the recent months, initiated action against those groups. Let us be realistic. Pakistan has taken action against those outfits in the last few months. We need to support those efforts.” Pakistan should also improve relations with Russia, boost ties with China, the Arab countries and Iran because US-Pakistan cooperation is not the entire gamut of foreign policy. The US has yet to reimburse around $ 2 billion in regard to the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). The other day, Defence Secretary Robert Gates admitted that Pakistan had given more sacrifices while fighting the war on terror than any other country of the world. Richard Holbrooke showed repentance that the US had made mistakes and suffered losses for not listening to Pakistan. Instead of paying tributes to Pakistan, they should give practical demonstrations of their noble sentiments.
In a joint statement issued after the two-day Pak-US strategic talks, Pakistan and the US vowed to seek a wide-ranging, long-term and substantive strategic partnership. The US said that it “was committed to working towards enhanced market access for Pakistani products as well as towards the early finalisation of the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones legislation.” Apart from cooperation in energy and supply of military equipment, Hillary Clinton said that the US would sign a letter for “significant road infrastructure” in Pakistan’s troubled northwest. It has to be mentioned that former president George Bush had also pledged, in 2005, to help establish reconstruction opportunity zones in the tribal areas with a view to providing job opportunities and enhancing the income of the residents of the areas, but neither was the bill presented in Congress by the Republican president nor did the present US administration consider it worthwhile to honour a pledge made by the former president. As regards the recent pledges, the real test of US cooperation will start after the November 2010 elections in the US. In a joint press briefing with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi after the first day of dialogue, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton termed the strategic talks important, not only for Pakistan but also for the US administration. She said that the US pledged $ 125 million in aid to boost the energy sector in Pakistan by establishing three thermal power plants to lessen the power crisis in Pakistan. But this paltry sum can help reduce shortage by a few hundred megawatts (MW) only, whereas the shortage is around 5,000 MW. She also pledged American assistance to develop the agriculture sector in Pakistan and speed up military equipment supplies to Pakistan. She added that Pakistani products would now have access to US markets. But the fact of the matter is that our industry is not running even at 50 percent of its capacity due to power shortages. It goes without saying that exports can only be increased if there is surplus production. Secondly, we have been hearing for the last three years that the US would lower tariff on imports from Pakistan, but nothing has so far been done in this regard. Our foreign minister seems to be an incorrigible optimist, as he sees a ‘180 degree change in the US’s attitude’ on the basis of promises only, and is satisfied with the overall talks including civilian nuclear cooperation. As is obvious from the joint statement and press briefing, the future tense has been used for doing things for Pakistan and no pledge has immediately been translated into action. True enough, there is a change in the US’s attitude, but to term this change as a paradigm shift in American policy is farfetched, given the past record. This should be looked at from another angle. President Obama wants to adhere to the schedule for withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan to showcase his performance before the upcoming elections to the House of Representatives and some Senate seats. In addition to his party, President Obama would stand to gain from the positive results of these elections, which could enable him to get legislation passed without much hassle and help him in his re-election for the next tenure. For Pakistan, the redeeming feature is that the US has tried to address Pakistan’s concerns and has implicitly acknowledged that Pakistan’s desire to see a friendly government next door is logical and reasonable. It is obvious that India’s role has been curtailed in the new Obama administration’s policy. In fact the die was cast for this change in the London Conference, whereby a renewed commitment was made towards helping Afghanistan so that it emerged as a secure, prosperous and democratic nation. This is in the interest of Pakistan and the region as a whole. A change in US policy is also visible from the assurance from President Karzai during his last visit to Pakistan, when he said that India would not be allowed to use Afghanistan’s soil to destabilise Pakistan. He also promised to keep Pakistan on board about any political engagement with the Taliban and sent out positive signals aimed at addressing Pakistan’s strategic concerns. However, there are reports that President Karzai was not happy over the arrest of Mullah Abdul Ghani Baradar, second in command to Mullah Omar and other Taliban leaders. Pakistan should, however, watch with guarded optimism because there are other countries in the region that also have strategic interests in Afghanistan. India is certainly not happy over its failure to play a role in the reconciliation process, though it has considerable clout with members of the Northern Alliance and President Karzai. But to send a message to the US, India has invoked its strategic partnership with Russia. Last week, India and Russia agreed to intensify their consultations on Afghanistan and evolve a joint strategy to meet the challenges posed by terrorism in their proximate neighbourhoods. Both sides signed pacts in the defence and civilian nuclear energy spheres worth over $ 10 billion. Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin, who held detailed discussions on regional issues with Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, shared New Delhi’s concerns about terrorism emanating from Pakistan and Afghanistan. But there was something to write home about, as after concluding agreements worth billions of dollars with India, Putin said: “Islamabad had, in the recent months, initiated action against those groups. Let us be realistic. Pakistan has taken action against those outfits in the last few months. We need to support those efforts.” Pakistan should also improve relations with Russia, boost ties with China, the Arab countries and Iran because US-Pakistan cooperation is not the entire gamut of foreign policy. The US has yet to reimburse around $ 2 billion in regard to the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). The other day, Defence Secretary Robert Gates admitted that Pakistan had given more sacrifices while fighting the war on terror than any other country of the world. Richard Holbrooke showed repentance that the US had made mistakes and suffered losses for not listening to Pakistan. Instead of paying tributes to Pakistan, they should give practical demonstrations of their noble sentiments.
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